Minecraft

Building and survival game. Single player is about as safe as gaming gets. Multiplayer servers and Realms are where the controls matter.

Menu names shift between software versions and between phone makers. If a name here does not match what you see, look for something close by rather than assuming the setting is gone.

1. 1

   Put them on a child Microsoft account inside your family

   Nothing else works without this. An adult account can’t be supervised.

   family.microsoft.com

   1. Go to family.microsoft.com and sign in with your own Microsoft account.
   2. Add your child as a family member, with their correct date of birth.
   3. Make sure Minecraft is signed in with that account.

   Who holds this: You set this from your own account, and your child cannot change it back.

2. 2

   Set multiplayer and communication in Xbox privacy settings

   These three toggles control who can reach your child inside Minecraft, on every platform.

   account.xbox.com/settings → [your child] → Privacy & online safety → Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows 10 devices

   1. Go to account.xbox.com/settings and sign in with your parent account.
   2. Select your child’s profile, then the Privacy & online safety tab.
   3. Choose the Xbox and Windows devices section.
   4. Set 'You can join multiplayer games', 'Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites' and 'You can add friends' to the levels below.

   Recommended by age

   Under 7	Multiplayer: Allow (for Realms with known friends). Communicate: Friends only. Add friends: Block.Only people already on their friends list can reach them. Strangers cannot.
   7–11	Multiplayer: Allow (for Realms with known friends). Communicate: Friends only. Add friends: Block.Only people already on their friends list can reach them. Strangers cannot.
   11–12	Multiplayer: Allow. Communicate: Friends only. Add friends: Block.Only people already on their friends list can reach them. Strangers cannot.
   13–15	Multiplayer: Allow. Communicate: Friends only. Add friends: Allow.Only people already on their friends list can reach them. Strangers cannot.
   16–17	Multiplayer: Allow. Communicate: Friends only.Only people already on their friends list can reach them. Strangers cannot.

   Who holds this: You set this from your own account, and your child cannot change it back.

3. 3

   Turn chat off inside the game as well

   Two layers beats one, and the in-game setting covers cases the account setting does not. Worth knowing that chat off also means they cannot coordinate with the friends they are building with. On a private Realm with people you know, leaving it on is a reasonable call.

   1. In Minecraft, open Settings and look for the chat option in the profile or general settings.
   2. Turn chat off, or set it to show only commands, for younger children.

   The exact menu name moves between Minecraft versions. If you can’t find it, the Xbox privacy setting above is the one that matters. Check the official Minecraft help link below.

4. 4

   Prefer a private Realm over public servers

   A Realm is invite-only and controlled by whoever owns it, where public servers are open to anyone. It is a paid subscription, which is the honest reason most families end up on public servers instead, so it is worth pricing before you promise it.

   1. If they want to play with friends, set up or join a Realm rather than a public server.
   2. As the Realm owner, you control the invite list.
   3. Talk about third-party servers, which sit entirely outside these controls.
5. 5

   Require approval for purchases

   The Minecraft Marketplace sells skins and worlds for Minecoins, and children are the target market.

   family.microsoft.com → [your child] → Spending

   1. Turn on 'Needs organizer approval to buy things'.
   2. Turn on purchase notification emails.

   Who holds this: You set this from your own account, and your child cannot change it back.

6. 6

   Set screen time in Microsoft Family Safety

   Covers Minecraft across Xbox and Windows in one place.

   family.microsoft.com → [your child] → Screen time

   1. Set daily limits or a schedule, per device.

   Who holds this: You set this from your own account, and your child cannot change it back.

Menus move. If something on screen does not match these steps, check the official link above.